My father is the main character, but the female leads want to kill me.

"Snapped!"

……

A carriage was parked under the shade of a tree outside Chunshui City, and a figure wearing a cloak and hood was resting under the tree.

After a while, several dark figures appeared on the roadside. Upon closer inspection, it was clear that they seemed to be from the same faction, as they wore a pink flower emblem on their chests.

As they chatted, they arrived at the two ordinary carriages, stopped their horses, dismounted, and approached the cloaked figure shrouded in the shade of the trees. The burly man leading the group cupped his hands in a tentative gesture and asked, "Excuse me... are you Mr. Lin Ran?"

Upon hearing the voice, the cloaked figure removed his hood, revealing an exceptionally youthful face, and laughed, "I've been waiting for you for ages! You've finally arrived!"

The burly man leading the group couldn't help but laugh when he saw the face. "It really is you, Mr. Lin! Every time I see your youthful appearance, I can't believe you're the same age as this old codger!"

"Sigh, I'm getting old. These are just some little tricks I use to fool myself into thinking I'm not old!" Lin Ran said modestly.

He then continued, "How have things been lately?"

Upon hearing Lin Ran's words, the burly man's smile faded, replaced by a hint of helplessness. He said, "Mr. Lin, let's go into the city together. You'll understand once you arrive!"

"All right!"

Lin Ran nodded.

The group mounted their horses, whipped them, and with a melodious roar, kicked up a cloud of dust as they headed towards Springwater City…

……

53. The Story of Spring Water City

Now the territory of the Yun Dynasty belongs to the Li Dynasty. Lin Ran adopted the old system of official conduct, and Li Yuhan sent people to formulate relevant policies. After some improvements, the Yun Dynasty was transformed into Yun Province.

Chunshui City was originally a medium-sized city under the Yun Dynasty. It was named Chunshui because a nearby river was called Chunshui by the locals for generations, and the name was naturally adopted for the city.

"Mr. Lin, there's another special story about this city. I wonder if the Ghostly Resentment Face Flower is related to this!" Upon entering Spring Water City, the burly man leading the group mentioned it to Lin Ran.

"Müller, just say it!"

Lin Ran led the carriage and looked around Chunshui City. There were still quite a lot of people. The shouts and calls from both sides of the street and the carriages and horses coming and going near the city gate all showed the vitality of this city.

It's a bit hard to imagine that a ghostly, resentful flower, which can only be born in places with extremely heavy yin energy and many ghosts, would exist in such a place.

"This story is quite special. Legend has it that many fox spirits used to live here. These fox spirits were incredibly beautiful and alluring. Although they were demons, they lived quite harmoniously with the local humans, and some of them even intermarried!"

Hearing Muller say that, Lin Ran chuckled, as he was reminded of the stories of humans and fox spirits in "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio".

Muller continued, "This place was originally a peaceful paradise, but it is said that evil was cast down from the heavens. The fox demons bravely stood up to fight against the evil, but as a result, many fox demons exposed their identities."

The once loving husbands, upon discovering the fox demon's true identity—as bizarre and monstrous as that of evil—became convinced the fox demon was in league with evil, and that these human husbands had personally pushed their wives towards that evil.

"Fox spirits are actually very loyal in matters of the heart. After being hurt by their husbands, they lost their fighting power and were almost completely wiped out by evil forces. It is said that the battlefield back then is the place where the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower is now located—the Ghostly Forest."

Lin Ran was somewhat surprised to hear this story. For some reason, he felt that the story was very true!

"Fan Hua, what do you think?"

Lin Ran decided to ask her "Yuanfang" for advice.

"I'll watch it lying down!"

After making a sarcastic remark, Fan Hua replied seriously, "These kinds of legends are half true and half false. If you can find a relic of the Celestial Fox Clan, it might even help improve your little girlfriend's strength."

Lin Ran secretly agreed that what Fan Hua said made sense. If they really had a treasure from the Heavenly Fox Clan, they could give it to the little maid as a gift.

The little maid's life has been taken so far by him that she is no longer the unknown nobody she was in the original story.

In the original story, the maid's strength wasn't as high as it is now, and she wasn't the empress of the Northwest region. Now, the maid's future is becoming increasingly unpredictable.

Muller led Lin Ran to the courtyard where they were stationed. As soon as he entered, he saw a group of men and women grilling meat skewers around a campfire. The aroma of meat filled the air, along with the smell of burning charcoal.

"Hey, Muller, you're finally back! If you hadn't come back, I would have eaten your share!" A slightly overweight man with a thick beard stood up, had just taken a sip of his drink, and noticed Lin Ran next to Muller. He hurriedly pulled up his loose pants and called out, "Greetings, Dean!"

Seeing his good friend in this state, Muller slapped his forehead and exclaimed helplessly, "Cato, look at you, you drunkard! This is the Vice Dean!"

Lin Ran also cracked a joke at the right moment: "Luckily, the dean isn't here, otherwise I would have gotten beaten up by that Dragon Transformation Realm woman because of what you said!"

"Hahaha~"

Everyone burst into laughter, their hearty laughter echoing through the sky.

Led by Muller, Lin Ran entered the backyard and happened to encounter a woman in the corridor.

"Hey, Captain Müller, who's this guy next to you...?"

After the woman greeted Muller familiarly, she seemed somewhat unfamiliar with Lin Ran standing next to her.

"Hello, my name is Lin Ran!"

Lin Ran extended her hand and introduced herself, while also sizing up the woman. She was fair-skinned and pretty. Not stunningly beautiful, but her overall demeanor, combined with her light blue dress, gave off a clean and comfortable feeling.

"Lin Ran...is that Vice Dean Lin?"

The woman suddenly became excited, quickly grabbed Lin Ran's hand, and anxiously exclaimed, "Vice Dean Lin, I know you are very familiar with Elder Wen, could you please ask Elder Wen for an autograph?"

"what?"

Lin Ran was taken aback. Did Sha Qianyi have that many fans?

Muller, standing to the side, explained with a smile, "Xiaoying is also an alchemist, but her rank is not high, only third rank. She really likes Elder Wen's childhood stories, so she really wants Elder Wen's autograph."

"Then why not ask for guidance?"

Lin Ran smiled and said, "I think your soul power is quite good, and you should meet the requirements for a third-level alchemist. I'll arrange for you to audit a course, and you should gain more from it. As for the autograph, go to her after class and give her my name!"

"Ahhh, I love you to death, Vice Dean Lin!"

Xiaoying was so excited when she heard this that she almost rushed forward to protect Lin Ran. If Muller hadn't reacted quickly and stopped her, Xiaoying might have actually pounced on him.

"Alright, Xiaoying, take Mr. Lin to see the patients!"

After much persuasion from Müller, Xiaoying finally calmed down and turned to lead the way.

As they walked down the corridor, Muller whispered to Lin Ran, "Mr. Lin, I apologize on Xiaoying's behalf. I'm sorry for offending you!"

Lin Ran shook her head and said, "No, she's a very youthful and energetic girl. Who is the patient you're going to see?"

"Sir, you'll understand when you see it!" Muller sighed.

Soon, Xiaoying, who was leading the way, turned into a house.

Lin Ran lifted the white cloth in front of the door and immediately smelled a pungent medicinal smell mixed with a fishy odor as she stepped inside.

"Sir, please wear this!"

Muller handed her a white, mask-like object, and after Lin Ran put it on, she felt much better.

Xiaoying had already put on a mask and lifted the white cloth in the inner room. Muller followed her in, followed by Lin Ran.

When Lin Ran entered, she saw several beds in the room, all occupied by people. The stench of blood and medicine emanated from these people.

He stepped forward and saw the person lying there. The person had many dark red lines on their face, and they had lost an arm. He also smelled the demonic energy.

He then went to check on several other people, and without exception, they all had either lost a hand or a foot, and were severely corroded by demonic energy, their bodies emitting a foul stench, and even their wounds were beginning to worsen.

"How come they've all been corrupted by demonic energy?" Lin Ran asked Muller curiously.

“Mr. Lin, do you know what this is?” Muller asked eagerly.

Xiaoying, standing to the side, also stared at Lin Ran, hoping to hear some hope from her.

"This is a bit complicated to explain. How about this, let me see if I can treat them first, okay?" Lin Ran said.

"Yes, yes, Xiaoying, you've helped Mr. Lin. If Mr. Lin needs anything, just let me know. I, Muller, will risk my life to get it back for you!" Muller said earnestly, holding Lin Ran's hand.

Lin Ran said, "It doesn't have to be that serious. Let me see if I can help!"

"Alright, I won't bother you any longer, Mr. Lin!"

Muller knew that his presence would be a hindrance, so he instructed Xiaoying to stay and help Lin Ran, and then left.

Xiaoying looked at Lin Ran with her bright eyes and said somewhat nervously, "Mr. Lin, how can I help you?"

"Who is the most seriously injured?" Lin Ran asked.

Upon hearing this, Xiaoying immediately pointed to the person in the corner and said, "That brother is in the worst condition. He was closest to the Ghostly Face Flower, and the others risked their lives to pull him back, but then he also got into trouble."

Although Lin Ran didn't know why the Ghostly Resentful Face Flower had demonic energy, his immediate priority was to save the person. He quickly went to the bed in the corner and looked at the young man. His face was almost covered with black and red lines, and his skin was starting to darken. He also had a strong fishy smell on his body.

He covered his hands with spiritual energy, then grasped the young man's left hand. Golden spiritual energy rushed into the young man's body. When he saw the dark red and black meridians, Lin Ran's expression changed. He thought to himself, "This demonic invasion is really serious!"

Lin Ran began to test whether his spiritual power could dispel the demonic energy. He carefully mobilized his spiritual power, afraid that he might accidentally kill the young man.

When his spiritual power touched the dark meridians, it seemed to make a "sizzling" sound, and the young man couldn't help but tremble, letting out a hoarse wail.

"Mr. Lin!"

Xiaoying couldn't help but shout out.

Lin Ran, with her eyes closed, instructed, "I'm trying to dispel the demonic energy within him. Tell him not to move around!"

"Yes!"

Xiaoying used her spiritual power to hold down the young man, preventing him from moving around.

After Lin Ran discovered that he could dispel the demonic energy, he increased his efforts. His spiritual power was like an eraser, slowly wiping away the filth from the young man's body.

As the cleansing efforts intensified, the young man's face turned pale rapidly, and the dark red patterns that had crawled all over his body like spider webs slowly faded away, along with the stench emanating from his body.

To Xiaoying, this change was nothing short of a miracle. She didn't dare disturb Lin Ran. After Lin Ran had completely cleaned up the mess, Xiaoying excitedly hugged Lin Ran and exclaimed, "Mr. Lin, you succeeded! You actually succeeded!"

……

54. Enter the Ghost Forest

"Mr. Lin, you are truly a miracle doctor! With just one touch, those reckless lads were cured!"

Cato's rough voice rang out in the courtyard as he forcefully shoved a freshly grilled, fragrant skewer of meat into Lin Ran's hand. Meanwhile, a gentle woman handed Lin Ran a glass of warm wine.

Lin Ran had barely sat down when he was surrounded by food. He said helplessly, "Everyone, I know you mean well, but aren't you going to eat all this stuff that's being offered to me at once?"

"Hey, we're already stuffed, we're just sitting here chatting!"

Cato responded by showing off his round belly, which drew laughter from everyone.

Lin Ran didn't stand on ceremony. He ate the barbecue heartily, feeling the oil and seasonings bursting in his mouth and bouncing on his tongue. It was simply too wonderful.